Classes Down Under – The Difference Between College and Uni 

I am lucky enough to be studying abroad this semester at Griffith University, Gold Coast Australia, and have just completed my first full week of classes! Naturally, I am here to tell you all the major differences I’ve noticed between classes in America and in Australia. Now, my first week was thrown off a bit due to Cyclone Alfred, however, I still have spotted a variety of differences in the curriculum and way of academic life here I’d like to share. 

First, most classes have a lecture/tutorial format. This means you meet for a one-hour lecture prior to your tutorial class. This lecture is just like it sounds, a simple lecture without discussion or questions. Since COVID many of these lectures are online, both of mine are, but not everyone’s are. The tutorial is a discussion-based class usually lasting about two hours in which you work with your classmates and ask questions to further understand the content learned. Not all classes follow this format, however. My Experimental Writing class is in a combination format, meeting once a week for three hours. This class involves a lot of hands-on work (since it’s writing-based) so this combination style works best. Since you have one lecture and tutorial per class a week the format is also much more weekly based. In America, you meet with a class usually two to three times a week. This means multiple lectures/discussions in a week, and maybe tests and quizzes or homework assignments due in the same week. 

Second, there are usually only about three graded pieces a trimester! In America, we are used to graded homework, discussions, quizzes, and tests. However, in Australia, there is usually some large assignment (Essay, presentation, etc) or test in the middle of the semester and then one at the end of the semester during finals, usually both worth about 40%. Many students will study the entire trimester for these exams, as they represent a lot of your grade. Most of these classes also posses a third participation or assignment grade worth about 20% that is scored throughout the semester. A downfall of this is you may not know how you are doing in the class until the end. In America, with constant tests, quizzes, and graded work it’s easier to keep updated with your grade throughout the semester, although it can be a lot of work and stress. 

Finally, a huge difference is the grading scale. Most Americans are familiar with the grading scale 90%+ is an A, 80%+ is a B, 70%+ a C, etc. In Australia this system is different. Here, 85-100% is an A or High Distinction, 70-84% a B or Distinction, 50-69% a C or Credit Pass, 25-49% a D or Pass, and 0-24% an E or Fail. This is due to the difficulty level of classes here along with the grading system that was previously mentioned. Australian Universities have you choose your Major out the gate and don’t usually include AUC requirements like Arcadia or other American schools. This means by the time Australian students are sophomores they are already learning at what at an American school would probably be a third-year level. Those studying abroad are often either not accepted into or instructed to avoid selecting classes at a 3000 level or higher.

If you are interested in studying abroad I advise talking to your advisor to see if it works with your academic plan, or feel free to check out Arcadia’s study abroad programs here!